Circumcision of the Negros
This male circumcision procession involved spear-bearing warriors and musicians with drums leaving from typical West African houses. In the section where this image appeared, Astley was describing Mandingo peoples referenced from the Upper Guinea Coast. He explained how "all the Mohammedan Negroes strictly practice circumcision, a ceremony performed around age of 14 or 15" (p. 298-299). Thomas Astley (d. 1759) was a British bookseller and publisher who never went to Africa. His imagined localities and illustrations of Africa were informed by a library of travel books at his disposal.
Image Title
Circumcision of the Negros
RegID
SI-OB-811
Date
1745-1747
Title
Circumcision of the Negros
Source
"Plate XLV" in Thomas Astley (ed.), A New General Collection of Voyages and Travels, vol. 2 (London: Thomas Astley 1745-1747), facing p. 298.
Language
English
Item sets
Pre-Colonial Africa: Society, Polity, Culture
Spatial Coverage
Africa--Rivers
Reproduced In
Jean Baptiste Labat, Nouvelle Relation de l'Afrique Occidentale, vol. 2 (Paris: Chez G. Cavelier, 1728), facing p. 280.
Researchers
Jerome Handler; Michael Tuite; Henry B. Lovejoy Graduate Research Assistants: Tiffany Beebe; Travis May
Last Updated
1-Feb-17; 21-Aug-19
Identifier
Astley006